Colt Ford visits The Rave Saturday night in a show that has been reformatted into a Packers Playoff party. Opening act Chasin' Mason will perform during halftime of the Packers-49ers game and Ford will hit the stage 10 minutes after the conclusion of the game.

The former professional golfer turned country rapper has been riding the success of last year's chart-topping fourth studio album, "Declaration of Independence." While the roughneck album resonated with Ford's growing legion of fans, his brand of in-your-face hick hop has yet to resonate in a big way with country radio. This is actually a bit surprising, since he's long featured big country stars on each of his albums and the guest list on the new album includes Kix Brooks, Montgomery Gentry, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean and Jake Owens (who will be opening for Aldean at June 29 at Summerfest.) | Jan. 10, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

I rarely have room in my schedule to attend special pairing dinners, those multicourse events that match dishes with wine, beer or cocktails. But I love 'em; it's such a pleasure to see chefs unleash their creativity and to hear what went into the making of a dish and the spirit, and taste how the food and drink relate.

For the inaugural Milwaukee Cocktail Week, c.1880 in Walker's Point is serving a five-course menu on Monday with drinks made with Great Lakes Distillery spirits. It opens with a riff on a Bloody Mary, in food and drink: | Sept. 21, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's season-opening concert Friday night at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts led to a big finish and an equally big ovation.

The orchestra, led by former music director Andreas Delfs and joined by pianist Jeremy Denk, opened with Aaron Jay Kernis' introspective "Musica Celestis" (Heavenly Music) for string orchestra. | Sept. 21, 2013»Read Full Article(1)

The Skylight Music Theatre doesn't have an official mascot, but it might think about borrowing the giant tiger Raghava KK designed for its "Fidelio." The feline could serve as a fitting avatar for the ferocious vitality new artistic director Viswa Subbaraman is bringing to the Skylight.

Subbaraman and his creative team infused this production of Beethoven's only opera with a set design, costumes, movements and gestures drawn from Indian culture and Bollywood. They brought color and movement to an opera that could easily be static on stage, and a liveliness of spirit to a show that could come across as a bit preachy, with its brotherhood-of-man lyrics, while sacrificing nothing musically. | Sept. 21, 2013»Read Full Article(2)

Styling Milwaukee

Runways aren't just for Mitchell International Airport. Stylin' Milwaukeeans can attend a number of runway shows, fashion forums and parties all week as part of the Fashion Week Milwaukee Initiative. The fun starts Sunday at 10 a.m. with the Style & Shopping Market Party taking place at SPiN Milwaukee, 233 E Chicago St., and ends Saturday with a style party at 8 p.m. at Oak, 231 E. Buffalo St. Some events are free; others have a ticket price of $10. Find the schedule at www.fashionweekmke.com along with the tickets and registration for free events. | Sept. 21, 2013»Read Full Article